Deathwalker 9000
Like his fellow Soulborgs, the Zettian Guards, Deathwalker 9000 is slowed down by his cumbersome full-body armor. His lumbering demeanor may have at first deceived those who are unfamiliar with Soulborgs; but they would be ill-advised to let down their guard. Deathwalker 9000's armor is almost impenetrable, and one exploding fireball from his energy blaster can wipe out a cluster of warriors in a nanosecond. To defeat Deathwalker 9000 an enemy must find, by either luck or proximity, one of the few vulnerable areas under his armor plates. Knowing this, Deathwalker often travels with Zettian Guards, programming them for longer attack range as a reward for their loyalty and protection. Stats * Life: 1 * Move: 5 * Range: 7 * Attack: 4 * Defense: 9 * Points: 140 Abilities: *'Explosion Special Attack': Range 7. Attack 3. Choose a figure to attack. Any figures adjacent to the chosen figure are also affected by the Explosion Special Attack. Deathwalker only needs a clear sight shot at the chosen figure. Roll 3 attack dice once for all affected figures. Each figure rolls defense dice separately. Deathwalker can be affected by his own Explosion Special Attack. *'Range Enhancement': Any Soulborg Guards adjacent to Deathwalker add 2 spaces to their range. Synergy *Is a valid target for Ornak’s Red Flag of Fury ability. *'Range Enhancement '''boosts the following units: • Blastatrons • Zettian Guards Behind the Game *'Clear sight shot.' Deathwalker 9000's Explosion Special Attack requires a "clear sight shot" to his target. Does the phrase "clear sight" indicate that Deathwalker 9000 needs only line of sight to any part of the figure rather than the hit zone? ''No. Deathwalker 9000 needs line of sight to the targeted figure's hitzone to use this attack. *'Order of Defense Rolls' Who decides what order the adjacent figures get hit when Deathwalker 9000 uses its Explosion Special Attack? The target always rolls defense first. Then the attacker chooses the order in which the other figures are hit. (Hasbro FAQ) *'Targets Adjacent to a Double-Spaced Figure' If I target a double spaced figure with Explosion Special Attack, who is considered adjacent? Normally it's anyone adjacent to the hex the character is on, however with double spaced figures any character that is adjacent to either space/hex it occupies is hit. (Hasbro FAQ) *'Which Soulborg Guards Receive Enhancement?' Does Deathwalker 9000’s Range Enhancement affect friendly/opponent’s Soulborg Guards as well, or only your own? Deathwalker 9000’s Range Enhancement only affects Soulborg Guards that you control. It does not affect friendly figures, and it doesn’t affect opponent’s figures. (Hasbro FAQ) Strategy Deathwalker 9000 is among the most classic pieces in Heroscape. His heavy 9 defense makes most attacks bounce off as his 4 attack dice (or special attack) wipe out his foes. Alternatively, his little Zettian Guards can snipe at targets in the early game. You can always tell when this robot is on the map. Like all games of chance, you run the risk of blowing 140 of your points every time you roll for defense. Why? Because Deathwalker has only 1 life, incredibly uncommon for a high-cost piece. But those points might be well-spent on a gamble. Here are some tips: 1''') Keep moving! Deathwalker's best friend is that average move rate (5 spaces) and his nice long range (7 spaces). If you are fighting enemies with equal movement rates, he should be fine. '''2) Sacrifice pawns to keep your king alive. Like chess, you have plenty of small not-so-useful pieces at your command. Let them die. 3''') Deathwalker is a bully. So long as he is the biggest piece on the map, you won't have too much to worry about. That means destroy anything with a higher price or better attacking capabilities ASAP, no matter the cost. '''4) Keep Deathwalker on high grounds. Like Syvarris, if Deathwalker has a height advantage, then the extra defence and attack will make him almost invincible. Deathwalker's Special Attack has an impressive range of 7 farther then most other units, even Major Q9's. Units who usually snicker at ranged attackers will not be doing so against Deathwalker. The Dzu-Teh, cowering as they do by the glaciers, are not immune to Explosion. You needn’t catch more than one of them to use the power, so use it! Sgt. Drake Alexander is also cocky about ranged opponents. If you see him coming, try to stay a few steps ahead of him. With a move equal to his, you can outpace him -- until you run out of battlefield -- and your superior range of 7 and Special Attack of 3 dice against his defense of 3 should mean he is taken out in a few turns. Of course, don’t let him get close, as his attack of 6 can even the odds against your godlike defense. The second version of Drake is even more dangerous. The same strategy will still work, but you may need some backup. Trivia Deathwalker 9000 holds several records: he is the first Deathwalker, until the coming of Major Q9 he had the most Normal Attack of any ranged unit, he is the only longest ranged Normal Attack unit capable of climbing ladders and he still holds the highest record for defense. He also has a unique, larger-than-usual single base. Unlike the better-balanced Deathwalker 8000, Deathwalker 9000's high ranged attack and awesome defense is not considered by the majority of players to be properly balanced by having a 1 life weakness. A minimum of 3 life is usually agreed to be necessary to properly balance the character. However, despite his weakness, only the most foolish of players would underestimate a Deathwalker. Category:Utgar Category:Soulborg Category:Unique Hero Category:Rise of the Valkyrie